My goodness. What a difficult competition to judge. All three judges selected different top images for different reasons. We had to call in the reserve judge to break the three way tie. The results were shielded from each judge and the tie breaker was asked to pick from the top three.

I have some comments from the judges that I would like to post at this time.

---------

Phil Martin writes:

First I wish we could give everyone something because this is really tough. I have looked these over I have decided to go with Tim Shedelbower. Personally I have never seen an image like this come from EIAS. I can't get technical, but there is just something that jumps out about it that I really like. My congratulations to everyone.

---------

Matt Hoffman writes:

First of all, I would like to complement all the artists who entered. I
enjoyed all of your artwork (sketches and renderings) and was very
appreciative of the time you took in creating it and the time spent
interacting with others on the CGForums. Reading all of the comments by
the artists and viewers greatly enhanced my enjoyment of this contest
and I'm sure it provided an enriching experience for everybody who
visited the forums.

Below you will find my comments on my vote for the winner and a few of
the other entries. If I didn't comment on your entry it is a reflection
on how busy I am and not on your art.

My vote for the winning entry:
Tim Shedelbower Scattered Life

Tim's rendering definitely captures the theme of the contest. I loved
the phoenix rising from a puff of fire above the trees. The source of
the fire is nicely hidden behind the top of the palm trees, and the
wide puff of fire at the base narrowing a bit and flowing towards the
phoenix looks great. The overall color scheme which is dominated by the
orange/red foreground elements and green middle elements against the
dark-gradient background gives the image a feeling of depth. There is
a strong sense of motion achieved with the rising phoenix and fire
balanced by the falling feathers and the beetles crawling down the
tree. The modeling is nice (and I'm sure those grizzled hands were a
lot of work), but it's the overall composition of the image that really
draws the eye.

Great job Tim!

Matt's Comments on a few of the other entries:

Yoshiki Ishizaka Can you see me?
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=321247

Of all the entries, this is the one I would most like to have rendered
and printed poster-size to frame and hang on my wall. The modeling and
texturing of both the planter/plant and the floor/backdrop are perfect.
The lighting is subtle and beautiful. I probably spent more time just
staring at this image than I did looking at all of the other entries
put together. There is something very serene about it. I do find the
top of the image somewhat unsatisfying. I'd like to see the top of the
plant within the image.

I can see the Uwe spent a lot of time in Silo on this one. I do like
the way this image fulfills the theme of the contest. But the
composition doesn't seem quite right to me. Perhaps the camera angle
should have been from a higher angle. The way the image is set up, the
legs seem to be the most dominate element. I would have liked it better
if the female form were more dominant.

What a nice modeling job on the human figures and the background is
amazing. The lighting in the foreground doesn't seem quite right. I
would actually love to see this image rendered using the Cell (cel)
shader and stronger foreground light.

---------

Eric Hanson Writes:

FIRST PLACE - Yoshiki Ishizaka
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=321247

This is a strong image visually and aesthetically. It shows the power of line and simplicity to yield something stronger than an aggregate of many elements. The lighting feels convincingly soft and diffuse, as you can feel the soft daylight reflecting into the scene. The cool color temperature in the shadow really helps validate the skylight source. Material development also is convincing, from the porcelin to the leaf texturing. The actual phoenix seed is a bit enigmatic, but perhaps that makes the scene richer. The strength in this image is in the power of suggestion versus showing the literal.

SECOND PLACE - Uwe Kerpen
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=320758

Conceptually, I find the masculine to feminine evolution intriguing. Narratively, the sword provides a rationale for the shift, but I am not sure what the birds communicate. From a visual standpoint, the image could be less monochromatic, perhaps a shift of hue in the sky to differentiate the two would provide more contrast and depth. Also, I find the composition to be too rigid, ehphasizing the foreground masculine versus the more refined sculpt you put in on the woman's face in the rearground. Perhaps put less axial centrality to the image and weight it towards the upper rebirth vs the rougher lower half. But a strong piece nonetheless. The base materials and texturing is well done.

THIRD PLACE - Richard Joly
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=319535

A lot of effort was put here on textures and materials. I think to move it to the next level, more development, breakup, and inconsistency could be applied to the lighting. Also, some materials such as the clock's brass could be better adjusted to the light intensity. It would be nice to see more occusion-based soft shadows, which we are all accustomed to now. The shading of the glass dome is very well done. Overall, I would say that there are too many elements asking for your attention, without directing your eye to one place. Perhaps if the lighting primarily emphasized the central object it would be stronger. Well done overall, however.

---------------

Brian J. Pohl writes:

FIRST PLACE - Uwe Kerpen
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=320758

I selected this image as my top winner because of a combination of things. First off, it was an excellent demostration of the entire CG process. Completely modeled without any parametric help, the image captures the spirit of both rebirth and transformation. I was also impressed with the educational elements that Uwe provided his readers within his thread. The entire process was well documented and a pleasure to read. I would like to see a little more color injected into the scene. The subtle hints of red and green almost pull your eye away from the center focal point, the statue itself. However, the texturing elements and GI lighting of the composition brings everything into focus for me. I also greatly appreciate the masculine/feminine contrast of the image. Very powerful.

SECOND PLACE - Yoshiki Ishizaka
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=321247

What a beautiful composition. Very elegant and brilliantly lit. The texturing of the piece is quite accurate and invites the viewer to examine the work with a sense of graceful expectation. The use of using color as the image's center of attention also works. I agree with Matt in that this is an image worthy of framing. Its simplicity says it all.

THIRD PLACE - Tim Shedelbower
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=320670

My first impression to this piece was wow.. how cool. The colors blew my mind. It possesses a retro feel with modern influences. It could almost be an album cover. I was extremely impressed by the technological tour de force of plugins and technologies utilized to create this picture and the render time just blew me away. Very impressive.

Once again gentlemen. Congrats. Tim.. I'll be in touch.

tjs61822

03-28-2006, 09:23 PM

Wow! This has truly floored me.

Everyone had a unique interpretation of the contest theme with great results in their final renderings. No surprise on the tight voting. I enjoyed reading everyone's comments and following along each idea that developed.

Thanks Brian for sponsoring this contest. It made me dig deeper into learning EIAS and its fabulous plugins. Looking forward to see what other surprises you have in mind!

Tim

Vizfizz

03-28-2006, 10:00 PM

Hey Tim...

You did an excellent job. You'll need to contact me with your shipping address and of course I'll need to know which prize you're interested in most. Your only last requirement is to render out a high resolution image for the folks at EITG. I'd shoot for a minimum resolution of 8x10 at 300dpi. 11x17 wouldn't be bad as an alternate resolution if you can muster it. Push that G5 of yours.

Once again. Congrats.

More fun and education is forth coming. My mind is busy dreaming up the next thing.

buggsy

03-28-2006, 11:36 PM

Tim your entry was most deserving of the prize.

I'm still scratching my head how you did your render in 3mins 9sec.

Congratulations!

Buggsy

DickM

03-29-2006, 12:32 AM

Congratulations Tim
Fantastic Image!
Just fantastic! :applause:

tjs61822

03-29-2006, 12:45 AM

Thanks guys. Buggsy, I did a lot of testing with Dante and Fire plugin settings for speed versus quality. The image is rendered without shadows which makes a difference. The feather shadow in the lower left on the tree is applied as a texture map to the tree (which was rendered from the feather). The rest relies on the EIAS speedy renderer.

Tim

richardjoly

03-29-2006, 01:01 AM

Yes! That is so well deserved. Congratulation Tim!

odwalla

03-29-2006, 01:29 AM

Your work is my favourite one.I can hear music of Akira Ifukube or Martin Denny from your work:).Really emotional picture. If I were a judge,My vote is for you. Again,Congraturations Tim:applause:

Thanks Loon. Tried GI and will have to totally reset the lighting (18 lights) because it erases all of the dramatic shadow areas. If I had spare time I might try it, but with my current work and kids schedule I doubt if it will happen. Plan on using GI on my next image though.

Tim

tjs61822

03-29-2006, 06:45 AM

Thanks uwe. I've got to admit I thought your idea was one of the most original. Enjoyed watching the progress of your image.

Tim

halfworld

03-29-2006, 08:32 AM

Congrats Tim!

Your image is the one with the greatest 'flooring' power that's for sure! A heck of a lot of passion to pack into one image. EIAS e-cards anyone? ;)

Congrats again!
Ian

tjs61822

03-29-2006, 02:59 PM

Thanks Ian. EIAS e-cards -> I'm up for any EIAS promotion.

Tim

mike33

03-29-2006, 10:52 PM

Congrats Tim for taking top honors and to everyone else who finished!

Cheers,

Mike

tjs61822

03-29-2006, 11:23 PM

Thanks Mike.

Tim

Vizfizz

03-30-2006, 06:08 PM

Your prize has been sent via Fedex Tim. Enjoy!

tjs61822

03-30-2006, 06:23 PM

Thanks Brian. Feel like a kid waiting for santa. I'll post a pic once received.

Tim

barnabythebear

03-30-2006, 08:20 PM

Well done Tim, a wonderful image!

ta

nige.

tjs61822

03-30-2006, 08:29 PM

Thanks Nigel.

Tim

tbenesch

03-31-2006, 04:29 AM

Yes, congrats Tim, well done indeed. Very beautiful and original. Thanks again Brian for making this contest happen. Without your incentive and supportive personality, none of us would have taken the time to create the wonderful work that was shown. You gave just the right 'kick in the pants' that made many take a breather from 'life' and do something different. Congrats to all the contestants, we all learned something and was shown wonderful talent and work.

Troy

Vizfizz

03-31-2006, 04:37 AM

Well.. as they say, lead by example. If I get involved, I'm hoping others will to. Bringing more awareness to the EIAS community is a good thing. Together we can change things.

tjs61822

03-31-2006, 03:27 PM

Thanks Troy. Totally agree with your "kick in the pants" comment.

Tim

Vizfizz

03-31-2006, 06:08 PM

EITG include's link to Project Phoenix contest on their website. Yeah! More exposure.

Brian asked me to post a picture of the jacket on so here it is. Tried to get my wife to pose in it but no luck. Would have been a more interesting picture! The lettering at the bottom is from the back of the jacket. Thanks again to everyone involved and especially Brian for offering the prize. Great jacket, perfect fit!

Tim

richardjoly

04-10-2006, 12:55 AM

Hey! Nice rabbits!
OK, nice jacket too... Congrats again Tim!

tjs61822

04-10-2006, 05:27 AM

Those rascally rabbits snuck in the picture! Must mean Easter is a comin'.

Vizfizz

04-10-2006, 07:42 AM

Heh everyone,

Brian asked me to post a picture of the jacket on so here it is. Tried to get my wife to pose in it but no luck. Would have been a more interesting picture! The lettering at the bottom is from the back of the jacket. Thanks again to everyone involved and especially Brian for offering the prize. Great jacket, perfect fit!

Tim

Thanks Tim!

You're right! Perfect fit. Looks like it was made for you. Enjoy!

Martin Kay

04-11-2006, 03:27 PM

Great image and concept. Well done!

MK

tjs61822

04-11-2006, 03:32 PM

Thanks Martin.

Tim

halfworld

04-15-2006, 12:10 PM

Looks good Tim, I'm sure Brian misses it already!

Ian

SteveW928

04-20-2006, 11:46 AM

Brian... is there a gallery type page somewhere with all the final entries? If not, that would be a really cool thing to have.

-Steve

RoundPixel

05-09-2006, 10:06 AM

Congratulations to the winner and to all that participated and delivered such great images.
I couldnīt find the time to go beyond concept drawings, but i see that i would have had a difficult time. Very good jobs everyone.

JC

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